Let's Save the Beloved VW Beetle!

I always thought if we could go back in time (Marty McFly style) and head into the corporate offices of VW and tell them how they can keep the beetle ALIVE for years to come, what would you present (or pitch) to them?
This is a video for my audience to leave their ideas in the comments section, what would keep the VW beetle market going after 1979?
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[@classicvwbugs]

I always thought if we could go back in time (Marty McFly style) and head into the corporate offices of VW and tell them how they can keep the beetle ALIVE for years to come, what would you present (or pitch) to them? This is a video for my audience to leave their ideas in the comments section, what would keep the VW beetle market going after 1979?

[@JamesDavis-jo9tk]

The problem is big fat government. We would need to go back in time further than 1970 to fix that…

[@classicvwbugs]

Probably yeah

[@christopherruff4001]

This continues to be a problem especially with the globalist, authoritarian climate alarmists! They are going to try and ban gasoline powered vehicles in lieu of electric vehicles that they can control. We will have to make our own fuel in that case. Anyone have plans to convert our VWs to Woodgas?

[@christopherruff4001]

The globalist authoritarian climate alarmist cabal seeks to ban all gasoline powered vehicles! It’s a control mechanism; they tell us that we’ll own nothing and be happy!! I’ll convert my VW to Woodgas before I give it up!

[@brianchisnell1548]

Everytime I drive my '64, I feel like I am getting away with something.

[@aeomaster32]

You are, betting back to earth. I love my 1964 because it is so honestly basic.

[@peterhehn9511]

Everyone wants the old Beetle again. So I would say to VW in 1970, keep building it, one day people will realize just don't mess with a good thing. And screw the EPA.

[@thomasflanagan8488]

Very few cars have a history like the beetle it survived the ravages of war and nearly written off completely as having no future it was Heinz nordoff that saw a glimmer of hope no one ever thought it would sell over 20million and become loved the world over its an amazing story

[@michaelconverse5127]

A few thoughts : the Beetle still met emissions and safety standards in the USA. Buyers didn’t turn away at the introduction of fuel injection - most buyers don’t care what the engine looks like. And honestly, having owned both carb and injection beetles and buses, the injection works much better in daily use and requires less maintenance. People convert to carbs because they don’t take the time to learn how to fix issues and some parts can be hard to find. If suppliers provided the parts I think more people would, these days, do the repairs. The Mexican beetles with the injection I have heard do run very clean and. could be made to meet US emissions for their day with OBD2 etc-but vw never intended on selling this car in the USA so why make the effort (although vw of Mexico was hoping that they would consider it at one point according to an article introducing the concept 1 in Automobile Magazine) Going back to why Beetles sales dropped off. First they peaked in the USA with 390,000 sedans sold in 1968 (total vw sales of all models peaked in 1970 due to other models selling better than previous years). After the 1968 model year vw sales were up and down for the next few years. They increased back up in 1973 to about 342,000 but then dipped down to 274,000 in 1974. We are talking only the sedan here. From here through 1977 they dropped drastically, finishing out with just over 12,000 in 77. I am pretty confident that this has nothing to do with safety and emissions. Sales had nothing to do with that at all. increased competition was one thing. Vw never fully dressed some of the issues. By the 70s the beetle was a car that handled and stopped very well. but vw was still to chintzy to offer a blower for the heater and other small cars offered more room inside and things such as a hatchback. I think that in order for Volkswagen to have done these things a full redesign would have been needed. A wider body shell, longer wheelbase, and a flat rear engine like the type 3, which would have allowed for not only the hatchback but two full trunks. One commenter said something about the windchill being too close. This problem was addressed with the 1973 model your super beetle. That is why they had the car for windshield. The dash was designed on the car to except airbags which they were experimenting with. But there was another issue that Volkswagen had no control over that really affected sales, in my opinion more than anything else. the value of the US dollar vs the German DM. Volkswagen prices were badly affected by this. The price of a nee beetle fully doubled between 1971 and 77. The value issue came about in the mid 1970s and beetle sales plummeted as the price of this economy car increased drastically. If not for this info believe the vw would have continued to sell in very good numbers. Keep in mind a lot of folks indicate that the rabbit was the runaway success that vw needed. And that is true BUT in the USA, Rabbit sales peaked at 214,000, which is far less than Beetle sales were in 1974. Why? The rabbit was known to be the best car in its class by a substantial margin then- but it was made in Germany and was very expensive compared to its competitors. So -a redesign to be more competitive in regards to room and convenience would have been ideal (it was still competitive with other small cars sold in the USA in regards to performance, fuel economy, safety, etc), and keeping the price down-which they could not do without opening a US assembly plant- is what was needed. Instead vw kept trying to update a 1930s basic design and by the mid 70s, an expensive one at that

[@classicvwbugs]

My gosh my friend, thank you so much for that input.

[@1000guy1]

I hope South Asia(India, Pakistan, Nepal) could bring back the vw beetle to its classic look

[@mondospeedy3089]

If i could go back and had a say in it, i would keep all the old lines of the bettle its what gives its personality, improver the motor, and Transmission. Improver the interior. Radio, insulation, but keep the classic look.

[@DuckmanCycles]

One of the big reasons for the Beetle failing US spec, was the windshield too close to driver, other than impact standards and emissions... the car truly needed a complete redesign in order to be compliant. And a redesign could have been possible, but we would have ended up with a very different car... and we did, in 1998... and they were awful lol!

[@classicvwbugs]

I agree bro!

[@granturismo4000]

Another idea, the New Beetles, I think they should have let Porsche design that car, rear engined, flat 4, baby Porsche engine, and the sporty one would be turbocharged. I love throwing out ideas like this, sorry if I’m bombarding you with comments.

[@classicvwbugs]

Dude! You da man, I love it. Keep em coming!

[@granturismo4000]

@@classicvwbugs thank you! :-) been into bugs since I was about 3, learnt as much as I can about them, but always thinking of interesting ways how they could have been improved. :-)

[@jasonburton487]

that would have been the right way to do the new beetle for 1998 on , but i think the price point would have been more then what Vw intended it to be, so it was based off the mk4 Golf instead. I have a 99 new beetle and LOVE IT .

[@granturismo4000]

@@jasonburton487 yeah definitely a fat point, it would have been an expensive project for VW which would have reflected the price too.

[@PhotoAlbert]

When my wife and I got married in 1972, she had a 1967 Beetle and I had a 1970. We loved those cars and as I recall the only thing we wished was better was the heater. Lack of air conditioning didn't seem to bother us back then (like it would today) but a better heater would have been nice. When I heard that VW was coming out with a new Beetle I was really hoping they'd put the original bodies on a modern chassis but of course that didn't happen. A couple years ago we bought another 1970 sedan and it's such a fun car to just putter around town in. But every time we take it out we have to make sure we have time to talk to folks who see our bug and want to tell us stories about the ones they had back in the day. We certainly enjoy hearing all those stories! So give me an old body on a modern chassis and I'll be all over it!

[@donelmore2540]

PhotoAlbert, I bought a ‘64 Bug and electrified the drivetrain with a Hyper9 HV motor (160+ft torque, 120+hp). No oil to leak, no gas to go bad, no valves to seize. Added disc brakes, 12v swap with LED lights, seat heaters, A/C, back up switch (allows the motor to run in reverse with no gear change). Just put in king pins and link pins in the front end and have ordered new door and window seals. Pretty soon it’ll be a totally new Bug! LOL

[@jonobaywindow]

The old VW could have been adapted further while retaining it's charm via 1) Increase engine BHP with a Porsche inspired redesign, but with reliability in mind.Power/efficiency increase would have helped with extras like Air conditioning etc. 2) 5 speed box and widened rear forks for a proper Auto option 3) Electric blower for heating and improved air ducting through sills 4) Interior redesign inspired by 50s/60s retro (similar concept to Fiat 500 and Mini) 5) Redesign under front bonnet to increase space/crash rigidity. Space saver wheel to liberate trunk space. 6) Wheel arch liners, galvanising and stainless steel exhaust for improved durability. 7) Elimination of external door hinges, body seams and lower front to reduce aerodynamic clutter.

[@riverbluevert7814]

Hi Chris - you have a tendency to lump Fuel Injection together with the Super Beetle. Remember that ALL BEETLES sold in the US starting in 1975 were fuel injected, both Standard and Super.

[@edtriana6250]

IMHO, what Volkswagen could have done to extend the life of the Beetle is what Porsche did with their 911 in the 1990's. Porsche went water-cooled whilst keeping the motor in the back, and most everything else nearly the same. The recipe has been very successful for Porsche. Would it have worked for the Beetle? Who knows.

[@granturismo4000]

I think it would have def worked, but would have priced it out if it being a cheap people’s car, someone mentioned that in one of my comments with when I had a similar idea.

[@riverbluevert7814]

Going back to the 1930s and tracking automotive design trends, there were several trends in competition: 1. Front engine and rear gas tank vs. rear engine and front gas tank 2. Water cooled vs. air cooled engines 3. Suspension springs: coil vs. leaf vs. torsion bar In all three critical areas the original Beetle design is a dead end. It was ahead of it's time in the 1930s and it lasted for decades. But the combination of Japanese external competition and Rabbit/Golf internal competition killed US Beetle sales in the mid 1970s. But here's the bright side. And I think you missed this important point. In the early 1970s, nearly all Japanese cars sold in the US were front engine and rear wheel drive. VW took the "power pack" concept from the Beetle (engine, transmission, and CV joint half-shafts combined together) and put it in the front of the Rabbit as a front wheel drive water cooled in-line four cylinder. The Japanese scrambled to convert all their cars to front wheel drive in response. We know today the front engine and front wheel drive design remains dominant for passenger cars. It's a significant manufacturing advantage; the power-pack is pre-assembled as a unit and inserted into the car body. This can be traced back to Ferdinand Porsche and his power-pack designs in the Auto Union Silver Arrow and the Beetle. It comes from Ferdinand Porsche's desire for light weight compact simplicity. And the Mini Cooper is an important predecessor of the Rabbit/Golf as well. (The Olds Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado were front engine and front wheel drive designs sold as low volume luxury cars)

[@DonCatherman]

Restoring my 74 super beetle....owned 20 years...body off new floor pans...i love my old bug...

[@StanAsher]

I would say in my opinion, was the engine.. a better engine, more power and an upgraded transmission...

[@johncollins5552]

Going back in time I would put a 5 speed gearbox in, add a small turbo to a 1300 and extend the wheelbase to improve rear legroom and possibly 4 doors! Yeah major engineering challenge.😂

[@anyone4acupoftea]

I think VW should have worked with Porsche to make a mini 911 Beetle. So 911 engine, brakes, suspension and possibly even chassis but Beetle body and interior.

[@aaronsanxiety3571]

I think there isn't much that could have been done. The market was so saturated with beetles. People were just ready to move on. (Most people) the main thing is that they are still in the cracks of of our world and it keeps the fan base strong

[@DoctorRemulak]

I think it would be cool if Volkswagen did some anniversary throwbacks to the spilts, ovals and split window buses and make them like they did back then but I think it would kill the value of the original ones. Say you can’t get your hands one a 1952 split well now you can with a 2024 anniversary version of it. Cool thought though lol.

[@classicvwbugs]

That would be awesome.

[@rukshandezoysa6171]

I love the Beetle. Specially the 1972.

[@barrywinslow9798]

Loved all the air cooled VW's forever. My last new Beetle was a Texas Yellow 72. A whopping $1995.00 out the door. The biggest problem I see....is the so called government. I understand Mexican Beetles are really good.

[@paulkopacz5051]

I do not believe that while heading into the "Malaise" era of U.S. made vehicles and regulations that anything could have been done to change the Beetle to make it competitive/comparable to any other vehicle. You either like the Beetle the way it is or you don't. I was a child (toddler) when these were new and I like them even now. I'm kicking around the idea of getting one '66 - '70 if I can find one with a relatively solid body plus I need to build a garage or pole barn first. It would help if the Wife were on board with that as well.

[@jasonburton487]

I think Vw could have kept the basic chassis lay out but upgraded to front disk brakes if not 4 wheel later on , and vw could have designed a proper watercooled flat four for the bugs, I know the vanagons got a watercooled flat four but they were plaqued with issues I feel as Vw just rushed in making those engines, just a air cooled type 4 motor with water jackets .

[@brandonbaggaley2317]

I would keep the promotion with Disney in the Herbie films.

[@johnrobert2510]

As mentioned, safety was an issue the Beetle and the Japanese front drive revolution was where it was at. My parents had a 60 and 68, traded the 60 in on a brand new 77 Accord and it was an amazing car for its time. BTW, some of the older Hondas are fun. I have a 93 Civic that’s a blast. But it seemed VW after the Beetle never could compete well in the economy car class. The A2s were great cars, I’ve had several. But the last attempt to find a real Beetle successor was the 87-93 Fox if you remember that. We had one and I wrecked it as a teenager. It was essentially a Dasher/Audi Fox reboot. It just never caught on. Remember that car? It was a fun driver

[@valdiviajr1]

Maybe if they would swap the engine in front like you are saying that would it make it last longer.

[@classicvwbugs]

I agree, even tho I love the rear engine design.

[@kyridgejumper]

I think the government killed many good engines like all the straight 6 engines. But I wonder if people was just ready for something else something different. Idk the answer but I am glad I saved a 64 and driving it today

[@granturismo4000]

The Mexican engines were great. What about if they had 16valve air cooled engines?

[@bendordoy4815]

I thought of a better idea than all my other ideas, so I could go back in time and have a say I would go back to 1973 and suggest Volkswagen do these 5 simple modifications to the beetle 1) put the 1303 curved windshield and dashboard on/in the standard beetle like Volkswagen of south Africa did with the 1600s super bug 2) replace the type 1 with a fuel injected type 4 with an upright cooling system a 3) fit 5 speed transmission same as the gene berg/094 and put a catalytic converter in the exhaust system. 3.1) then later down the road before air-cool engines are phased out work with Porsche to develop a better water boxer engine then them in the bugs and the vanagons. 3) add better crash protection where required 3.1)fit airbags. 4)upgrade the accelerator pedal with flat pedal/Twin-Lever design and replace the Hook and loop clutch pedal shaft with one with a brass bushing, threaded stud and nut same as classic bug parts designs and fit a mechanic brake severo. 5) replace the steering box with a rack and pinion.

[@stephenport4768]

Maybe tune one up for Rallying a homologation special VW could of collaborated with Empi to be a reputable tuning company a bit like Alpina is to BMW

[@granturismo4000]

And definitely agree too that collaboration with EMPI would have helped loads too.

[@stephenport4768]

@@granturismo4000 Empi is very relevant to VW and still is today and a worldwide collaboration along with Speedwell in the UK with the BRM alloy wheels could have offered an authorised tuning and modification agent to co inside with production to provide a eye catching GTI/GTV styled Beetle as with the Alpina brand is with BMW it would have been a very competitive edge back then

[@martialthielen7675]

They should add ABS for the brakes,that could be a great step for our beetle 🇨🇵👍

[@Nick_Catania]

The 2012+ beetles had an issue with the timing tensioner. That’s probably why it’s on the avoid list. I have a 2016 beetle too. Nice car, but nothing like the original. It has the spirit, but nothing else.

[@dwaynemathias3834]

Technology surpassed the Beetle and to add that technology would ruin the simplicity of the Beetle which is one of its major charms. The heating system in a water cooled engine is much easier to control, plus the Rabbit is a bigger and safer car.

[@johnrobert2510]

As far as the air cooled engine, it obviously soldiered in until mid ‘83 in the Vanagon until the Wasserboxer came out, which wasn’t a great engine BTW. The problem with air cooling and emissions they say was temperature control. An air cooled engine has wider swings in operating temperature and emissions is not as clean. I personally hate all of that stuff, but that’s what they claim was the issue. VW was also a bit late to the party and tried to keep the Beetle going sort of. Remember the Type 4? That never caught on except for the engine, which was probably the best air cooled engine VW ever made. That was used in the 72-83 Bus/Vanagon and Porsche 914

[@aeomaster32]

In its time the Beetle was a good choice, well designed and engineered given the parameters it had to match. However, regulations for safety and emissions were brought about by new technology. The Beetle was designed prior to technology being available, and attempts to modernize had their limitations. There is only so much you can do to a design before it becomes another design - witness the New Beetle based on the Rabbit underpinnings. I have an Australian built 1964 Beetle, and love it for its brilliant engineering simplicity. Certainly I at times wish it had more power and refinements, but then again no one would ever consider an old split window model desirable if modernization was the criteria. You ask what could have been done to extend the life of the design; I think VW did what they could keeping the original concept going. Any bigger changes would make it a different car - which is just what they did with making Rabbit and New Beetle. I enjoy the car in its full original condition with 33,000 miles on it because it is such a clever exercise of making the best design of simple reliability in the context of the times. I just love the brilliance and unpretentious honesty radiating around me as I drive it.

[@thomasflanagan8488]

Sadly the design of the beetle was to old by the 70s perhaps had done like the all new beetle in the late nineties using the vw golf platform and front engine layout the beetle could have had gone on for another few years hindsight is a great thing but vw had to move away from their faithful beetle and bring a whole new generation of watercooled front engine cars

[@hughrobinson9978]

What if we put a similarly shaped body on the watercooled front drive Golf chassis and called it the New Beetle? Oh wait.......

[@TheCheeseBaron]

Maybe a 4 door beetle. Type 4 motor with a small second trunk over the flat motor in the back

[@justsevens5379]

Golfs and Rabbits don't have a chassis, they are unitized bodies.

[@bradleybuyer5541]

Seems VW tried to save it by bringing it back in 2000. Had a good run this time around too. I think the original just became too bare-bones for people. My first car was a 62 beetle back in the 70s and I loved it dearly but really, it was a tin-can. I think they did a good job reintroducing it in the 2000s - especially when they brought the top down so it was less bubble-headed. Sadly, there's just no market for it anymore.

[@user-ho2cs4ip1p]

We need to I have a 68

[@johnrobert2510]

There were a lot of things with the Beetle that by the mid 70s didn’t make sense anymore. The heat exchanger system, while more effective than people think it was, wasn’t what people wanted. Price wise, by that point there were more modern cars in that class as well with hatch backs and so forth, and they got better gas mileage, which was huge in the 70s because of the oil crisis. Honda’ CVCC engine comes to mind. The Rabbit and Dasher were also a factor, but they weren’t as reliable as the Japanese cars. The US makes we’re a disaster, culminating with the infamous Vega and Ford’s Pinto. The former is considered the worst car ever

[@pastedtomato]

For the Beetle to comply with 70s emissions and "safety" standards, the only real option would had been to put a Beetle shaped body on a more modern water-cooled platform, and while we are at it, why not put a hatch in the rear? Now the question is, where could VW had positioned this "old school New Beetle"? Was there enough nostalgia/love for the Beetle in the 70s or 80s for consumers to pay a bit of a premium for it over a Rabbit? Or would have them put it below the Rabbit, keeping up with the Beetle legacy of cheap mobility, perhaps by using the Polo Platform and engine instead of the Rabbit ones, and by making them in, let's say Mexico, to keep the prices as low as possible

[@jebzjaworksi8378]

Beetle or not, I think any car with the same design philosophy would be fantastic. Make a basic car that is simple enough so the average person can make repairs if they have a reasonable amound of skill, make progressive refinements to make it work better, with a high emphasis on backwards compatibility. Make it have charm enough for people to want to buy it. It may still exist but I don't see any mainstream cars sold in the US that check those boxes like the beetle did. Maybe World War 3 will spark something like that like it did for the beetle.

[@donelmore2540]

I think that your face is part of the crumple zone was a problem. No place for airbags that I can find in my ‘64-maybe a huge one behind the backseat?

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

There's nothing VW could have done to extend the life of the original Beetle. Putting things like emissions and crash regulations aside, the aging Beetle couldn't compete with the Japanese cars appearing in the US market. For the same price as a Beetle you could get a Corolla with actual working heat, cargo space, and stability in crosswinds. No wonder Beetle sales dropped so much after 1970. Put simply, if VW hadn't created that first generation of water-cooled cars and tried to stick it out with air-cooled designs, they would have gone out of business.

[@classicvwbugs]

You are probably right my friend

[@ronaldrhodes4931]

pollution pressure from the government , competition from japaneese that did not exist before and the appointment@VW of Rudolph Leiding.Leiding wanred to move away from beetle.The new beetle was too complicated for the average guy to service.The new beetle was cute mobile flower pot....howabouta classic old VW with an aluminum body/pan?

[@stacycollier6262]

go back to 1967 and tell them to leave it alone do not mess with perfection

[@Buglife59]

Ac 5speed manual

[@granturismo4000]

I think they could have maybe put the Vanagon water boxer engine? Like Subaru power but more retro and keeping it VAG.

[@classicvwbugs]

Ah yes!

[@bobhopfner3812]

The Rabbit was superior to the beetle in every way. More interior space, luggage capacity, suspension? Performance, overhead cam vs. pushrods. My wife has a 2006 new beetle. There is no way to build that kind of car in 1975. Otherwise, look at the 914 or 911. Push the beetle with independent suspension and make it a sports car where luggage etc isnt a requirement then maybe youdhave something but who would pay near Porsche price for a beetle??

[@daddygrasshopper]

As others have said, it would have had to be watercooled and rear engined. Unfortunately probably bigger also, basically bigger super beetle with wasserboxer.

[@sharongallagher9921]

✨ "promo sm"